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LSCC Baseball 2008 Athletic and Academic Awards
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Nick Delguidice named top junior college defensive player of the year.
He also earned First-Team All-State honors. Read more...
Eustis High's Okey signs with LSCC
LEESBURG - Rich Billings wanted to make an impression.
The first-year Lake-Sumter Community College baseball coach entered the recruiting process focused on landing a player from Lake or Sumter counties to strengthen the program's local ties.
He also hoped to find a player who had the potential to contribute immediately for the Lakers.
Billings believes he found everything he was looking for in Chase Okey.
"He's not a very big kid but he plays the game with so much passion that you can tell he loves to be out there," Billings said.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Okey finalized his college plans Tuesday afternoon when he signed a letter of intent and a scholarship to play baseball at LSCC.
The Eustis High School senior catcher received the Travis Rios Memorial Scholarship, which is named in honor of the late Eustis and LSCC baseball player who died last April.
Okey, a second-team pick to The Daily Commercial All-Area Baseball team the past two seasons, said LSCC had the perfect combination of location, athletics and academics for him to continue pursuit of his desire to play college baseball.
I think it is a good place for me to start it off," Okey said. "Coach Billings and coach (Josh) Holt are excellent coaches. I am excited about it."
Billings, who was an assistant coach to Mike Matulia on the LSCC baseball team last season, said he saw Okey play as a sophomore and made a mental note to keep track of his progress.
Last fall, Billings' confidence in Okey solidified after he watched him and his Amateur Athletic Union "Juice" teammates take on LSCC.
"He hustles on and off the field, he blocks balls and he does the little things catchers are supposed to do to help their teams win games," Billings said.
Billings said he didn't go out recruiting intent on finding a player who had Okey's passion for the game and his intangibles. He considers it a "bonus" that Okey is a leader who handles pitchers extremely well and has "Division I potential."
Said Billings, "He has to get a little stronger with his bat, but I think he is a Division I catcher right now. The Division I schools are looking for catchers who can catch, throw runners out and hit the ball out of the ball park. He may not be able to do that third thing as well as the other two, but as far as his catching skills are concerned, I think he can help a Division I school right now."
Billings, who served last summer as an assistant coach with the Florida Collegiate Summer League's Leesburg Lightning, said Okey's makeup is similar to Doc Neiman, who was a catcher for the Lightning.
"They both play as hard as they can all of the time," Billings said. "You never have to worry about them not playing the game hard."
Billings says he doesn't have a number of recruits in mind to bring to the program. Instead, he wants to sign as many of the top players in Lake and Sumter counties and then expand the recruiting base.
Eustis coach Chet Lemon, who also coached Okey with his AAU "Juice" teams, said LSCC is a "perfect fit" for Okey.
"He is a fantastic youngster first," Lemon said. "He is a great kid who comes from a great family. He has a great support system. He has very good work habits. To be honest with you, Lake-Sumter is getting a fantastic player. I think he is going to do a fantastic job for them."
Lemon said a number of other schools, including several Division I programs showed interest in Okey. He said those schools might not have detected what he saw in Okey after watching him very closely the past three seasons.
"With Chase, you just have to watch him day in and day out because he is just as good and plays like a kid who is 6-2, 180 to 200 pounds," Lemon said. "We have been very fortunate at Eustis to have him, and I have been very fortunate to have coached him."
Lemon said Okey knows how to handle a pitching staff and how to separate his offensive and defensive roles. He said Okey's quiet demeanor belies a "take-charge" attitude that has helped him earn the respect of his pitchers.
"He has a calming effect on pitchers the way he goes about his business," Lemon said.
Okey said he is most proud of how he has learned how to read hitters and help a pitcher work the strike zone. He said he hopes to continue to hone those skills, as well as his switch-hitting ability (he is a natural right-handed hitter and thrower) with the Lakers.
"My strength is definitely behind the plate," Okey said. "I am trying to improve my arm strength, and I want to come here to become bigger and stronger."
Lemon knows Okey will improve on all of those skills and more at LSCC because he knows he is more than what he appears to be.
"Pound for pound you will never find a youngster that is much better than that," Lemon said.
LSCC names Billings to replace Matulia
LEESBURG - Rich Billings is a self-proclaimed baseball junkie.
He couldn't get enough of the game when he was a player at Leesburg High School, often playing for travel ball teams during the summer, and his post-collegiate life is consumed by the sport as well.
Billings completed his second season as an assistant coach for Mike Matulia at Lake-Sumter Community College and is spending the summer as an assistant coach for the Leesburg Lightning in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.
For him, the game has been practically a year-round activity.
Baseball officially became a full-time vocation for Billings Thursday when he was named head coach at LSCC. It is the first head coaching position for the 24-year old Billings.
"I'm elated that Coach Matulia and the search committee at LSCC had enough confidence in me to give me a chance with the baseball program," Billings said. "This is a great opportunity for me and it will present the biggest challenge I've had in baseball. Running a college baseball program takes a lot of time and effort, but I've learned from watching one of the best in Coach Matulia.
"It's especially nice to know that I can always go down the hall and talk with him if I want to bounce an idea off him or get a little advice."
Matulia, who is the school's athletic director, stepped down recently as the Lakers baseball coach - a position he held for the previous nine seasons - after an 11-33 campaign to devote more time to "leading all of our athletic programs into the future." Matulia said Billings has the tools to be a successful college coach and, because Billings was LSCC's recruiting coordinator for the past 18 months, the transition Matulia to Billings should occur with few problems. The entire roster for the Lakers was recruited by Billings and assistant coach Josh Holt, who agreed to join Billings' staff.
"Rich has excellent leadership qualities and is a fabulous role model for his team," Matulia said. "He knows the game and knows how to teach it to others. He wants to be here and take us to the next level. The three finalists for the job were fantastic candidates and would've been tremendous additions to our staff.
"I am proud Rich was selected to take over for me and I know that he has the drive and energy to take us to the next level."
Billings is a graduate of LSCC and played for Matulia in 2002 and 2003. He was named to the All-Suncoast Conference honors as an outfielder in 2002 and was named the the Florida All-Academic team as a sophomore. Billings continued his playing career at East Tennessee State University.
He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with the Buccaneers during the fall of 2005 before returning to LSCC in 2006. In addition to his coaching duties, Billings will be the coordinator of Post-Secondary Transition, which Matulia said will involve all recruitment activities in the LSCC service district.
Billings said he plans to surround his team with a positive attitude and approach. He will set the example for his players with a relentless work ethic that he believes will be infectious - athletically and academically.
"I'm not a yeller or a screamer," Billings said. "Instead, I believe in working harder than anyone else to achieve our goals. If I need to stay after practice to help a player out in the batting cage, then we'll do that. That's the only way I know how to play the game and it has served me well. Our student-athletes will earn their scholarships by working hard on the field and in the classroom."
Billings said he knows he has a "lot to learn" about coaching and has used his time with the Lightning to learn more about the profession. He said he talks with players on the team - many of whom come from Division I programs - about their coaches and their likes and dislikes.
He hopes to use what he learns in his own dugout next season.
"We have players from programs like Florida State and I would be crazy not to use something that Mike Martin's book," Billings said. "He's one of the best college coaches in the country. You have to be a little flexible and know how to get the most out of the players you've recruited. What works for one guy might not for another.
"The truly successful coaches know how to get the most out of every player. If I am the one to take LSCC baseball to the next level, those are the lessons I have to learn."
Holt, who is manager of the Lightning, believes Billings is the right person to elevate the Lakers. The two have know each other since childhood and graduated together in 2001. Holt said even though Billings has never been a head coach before, he began preparing himself to become one during his high school career.
"Rich loves baseball," Holt said. "He has his priorities right - family comes first - but baseball has always been a huge part of his life. I'm very happy for him and I'm looking forward to helping him turn LSCC into one of the top programs in the state. He's a quality person who respects the game and the people who play for him."
Billings said he will begin his new job in earnest on Monday, although he doubts his daily activities will change very much. He'll still spend at least part of his day at the LSCC baseball complex and some looking for another pitcher to fill out his first roster.
He knows the new post likely will consume a great deal of his time and even require him to work seven days a week on occasion.
"I don't mind it, though," Billings said. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I love baseball and this is a chance to take a great program and turn it into something special. I want to be the head coach at Lake-Sumter Community College for a long time and I'm ready to do what it takes to be the best."
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